Muslim Women (protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986

Justice Krishna Iyer has in this book made a scathing criticism of this controversial new Act, which he calls a 'black letter law', 'a freak birth'. He goes on to suggest a reform of the Muslim Personal Law and the adoption of a 'Uniform Civil Code for Indians' as a means of unifying the Nation against the divisive potential of religious fundamentalism and competitive communal pluralism. The book is divided into six chapters as follows: Indian Muslims and Gender Justice; Gender Injustice; Legislation; Common Civil Code; The Shahbano Case: The Constitution and the Court Reform of the Muslim Personal Law; and A Uniform Civil Code for Indians. Justice Krishna Iyer has been in the forefront of the opponents to this Act, and some very interesting correspondence transpired between him and the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Lok Sabha during the passage of the Act through the Parliament. This has been reproduced in the appendices along with other useful materials.